CBPM Takes on Brazil!

Share This Page

by Natalie Randall (Class of ’16)

It has been nearly 3 months since our trip to Brazil, and now I'm enjoying sitting back and reflecting on the amazing trip we had and how far away it seems. Before this experience, I had never been to South America and had no idea what to expect, other than hot, hot weather and some pretty great steak houses. Needless to say, Brazil did not disappoint!

Our trip was the perfect combination of company visits, culture, and caipirinhas! Thanks to our amazing board and alumni connections, we had the opportunity to visit numerous Brazilian offices, including General Mills, S.C. Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, Ogilvy, JohnCenter, 3M, and the US Consulate. We were introduced to case studies and interactive learning experiences to help understand strategies and tactics they employed to be successful in Brazil. A few examples include:

General Mills: launch strategies for co-branding Betty Crocker and Yoki, one of their Brazilian-Japanese brands.

3M: innovation immersion and case study on how the consumer insight was founded in office for their successful adhesive foot tape line.

S.C. Johnson: strategies and tactics for how to manage competing brands within their pest control portfolio.

Kimberly-Clark: deep dive into diaper category segmentation based on Brazilian social class.

We also had the opportunity to see the sites in Sao Paulo and Rio, including Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf Mountain and Copacabana Beach. One of my favorite night time activities was tasting the local and ethnic cuisine, especially the well-known steak houses. I learned that Brazilian’s share an affinity for bread covered cheese balls, too!

A big thank you to the CPBM office, our amazing tour guide Vanesa, our alumni and board members for all the hard work put into making Brazil an amazing experience!